Apparatus for cooling and solidifying soap



April 29, 1958 R p so 2,832,123

APPARATUS FOR COOLING AND SOLIDIFYING SOAP Filed Oct. 28, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet i I INVENTOR.

, BY WJM April 29, 1958 R PISON, 2,832,123

APPARATUS FOR COOLING AND SOLIDIFYING SOAP Filed Oct. 28, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 '6 3 7 Q 2 2s E 26 I! 20 /7 j I 23 1 H615 3 L 3 /5 3 IN VENTOR.

2; I 36 BY Attorney R. PlSONl April 29, 1958 APPARATUS F OR COOLING AND SOLIDIFYING SOAP 4 Filed Oct. 28, 1952 3 Shets-Sheet 3 a F -n nu r F If un r u a! up Mu u d i c/ c c INVENTOR.

BY WJM flttorneg APPARATUS FUR CQgLlING AND @QLIDIIFYING OAP Rino Pisoni, Eus'to Arsizio, Italy Application October 28, 1952, Serial No. 317,3t23

Claims priority, application Italy April 26, 1952;

2 Qlairns. (Ci. 25-8) The present invention relates to an apparatus for making laundry soap by continuous extrusion.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus by means of which soap may be continuously produced.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capable of solidifying soap in liquid state.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capable of mixing and homogenizing pasty soap.

The objects of the present invention also include the provision of an apparatus capable of extruding soap in any desired shape.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a single apparatus capable of solidifying soap in liquid state, mixing and homogenizing the solidified but still pasty soap, and thereafter extruding the homogenized soap in any desired shape.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a soap making apparatus which may be built, maintained and operated at low cost.

With the above objects in view, the present invention mainly consists in an apparatus for continuously solidifying liquid material and for mixing and homogenizing and thereafter extruding the same, which apparatus comprises inner drum means rotatable about its axis and outer stationary drum means arranged coaxial with and spaced radially outwardly of the inner drum means so that the inner and outer drum means define an annular space between themselves adapted to receive liquid material. Cooling means are provided for cooling this annular space and any liquid material therein. Suitable inlet and outlet means communicate with the annular space. Vane means are arranged on the periphery of the inner drum and extend across the annular space so as to be in contact with the outer drum, so that the I liquid material may, upon rotation of the inner drum, be moved through the annular space. Additionally, blocking means are arranged between the inlet and outlet means and extend across the annular space so that. discharge of 1' the cooled liquid material into the outlet means is forced during rotation of the vane means with the inner drum. Mixer and homogenized means are connected to the outlet means for receiving the solidified material discharged therefrom, and extrusion means are connected to the mixer and homogenizer means for receiving the thus-homogenized solidified material therefrom and for extruding the same in predetermined shape.

According to one embodiment of the present invention the mixer and homogenizer means comprise a plurality of apertured coaxial tubular members of which alternating ones are stationary and the remaining ones are turndiJ able about their common axis, the arrangement of the 2,832,123 Patented Apr. 29, 1958 through the mixer and homogenizer means comminuted.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevational of one embodiment according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line ABC of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line BDEF of Pig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the mixer and homogenizer unit incorporated in the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plane view of a modified embodiment of a mixer and homogenizer unit.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a solidifier and homogenizer apparatus comprising a housing 1 preferably of cylindrical form in which a stationary drum 2 is located, the housing 1 and drum 2 forming between themselves a space 3. The drum 2 is provided with external fins, the ends of which are spaced from the inner wall of the housing 1. Said space 3 has an inlet conduit 4 and an outlet conduit 5' for a cooling mixture.

Co-axial with cylinder 2 is a rotatable cooled drum 6, within which a cooling mixture may circulate.

The fluid or refrigerating mixture arives in the chamber 7 of drum 6, through holes To that put the chamber in communication with the interior of a smaller diameter cylinder 6', the path of said refrigerating liquid being indicated by arrows F and F.

The rotating drum is provided with vanes 17 that in the example illustrated are two in number. The

are

vanes are arranged diametrically opposite each other and i are located along two generating lines of drum 6.

The vanes 17 will assume at every instant the necessary position for the thiust they are to exert, suitable means being provided for this purpose.

A portion of the wall of the stationary drum 2 is constituted by a sliding block 11 urged against the internal surface of drum 6 by a screw 18 sothat sliding block acts as a blocking means which closes the soap conduit at a point intermediate inlet conduit 12 and outlet conduit 15.

Vanes 17a are constituted by cylindrical elements having a projection 17 forming the vane true and proper, while said elements extend at each extremity in an arm 25 having a suitable inclination and carrying, at its free end, a roller 26 mounted on a ball bearing and engaged in a groove 19 provided in both side covers 2%) of housing 1. It can then be understood how, thanks to the guide constituted by grooves 19, each of the vanes 17a is obliged to assume, while it accomplishes a revolution around the axis of drum 6a, such displacements as to carry the vane-shaped projection 17' of each element 17, to assume different positions such as those clearly indicated in Fig. 1. Said displacements of the vanes 17 take place by the rotation of the cylindrical elements constituting the vanes themselves in their respective seats provided in drum 6.

Fig. 4 clearly shows how each roller 26 comprises a center pin 22 fixed to its respective arm 25 and a ball 3 l1 earing 21 whose outer ring engages in said guide groove The working of the described apparatus is as follows: refrigerated water or brine is caused to circulate in the hollow spa-cc 3 andin chamber 7 while the liquid and hot soap, coming from the cooking boilers or from other reservoirs, is. sucked through conduit 12 into conduit 13, thanks to the suction that is generated in the latter conduit after the passage of each vane 17 so that the soap contained in the conduit 13 is moved in the direction of arrow W. The soap that thus comes to fill the portion of conduit 13 between two vanes 17 is then pushed by vane 17 located behind it and forced to travel the whole of conduit 13a.- During this course, the soap is strongly cooled, solidifying itself while under the pressure exerted on it by the driven vanes 17. Thus, when said soap comes to the mouth of conduit 15, it is already practically solid and it introduces itself into said conduit to successively pass through die 23'that gives the soap the shape of a bar having the desired dimensions. Conduit 15a, as is clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 5, is provided with outer cooling fins and eventually with a hollow space 16 within which a cooling or a heating liquid is circulated, while at the moment of the extrusion the soap bar before coming out of die 23 is smoothed thanks to the heating of the die generated, for instance, by the electric resistance 24, by which the outer surface of said bar is slightly fused, which facilitates the coming out of the bar and simultaneously smoothes the outer surface thereof.

According to the present invention, a mixer and homogenizer unit 50 is interposed between the outlet conduit 15 and the conical conduit 15a feeding the die.

This unit comprises an outer casing 27 having a cylindrical shape and provided, at two diametrially opposite points, with two conduits 23 and 29 communicating, re

spectively with the outlet conduit 15 and the cone 15a.

Inside of said casing 27, concentric tubes are located, these tubes being provided with small holes extending over two sectors corresponding to the conduits 28 and 29. In the illustrated embodiment, four tubes, indicated in the drawing by 30, 31, 32 and 33 are provided. Tubes and 32 are stationary, while tubes 31 and 33, connected to shaft 34, have a rot-ative or reciprocating movement, to an end that will be explained further on. The number of such tubes may, however, be less or more than four.

Shaft 34 is supported on hearing 35 and extends through support 36, the latter being integral with the outer housing 27 of the mixer unit 50. Said shaft 3 5 has a crank 37 mounted upon it that can have a continuous or partial rotating motion imparted to it for driving the tubes 31 and 33 with the desired movement.

Tubes 30, 31, 32 and 33 are provided, in correspondence with their sectors facing conduits 7,8 and 29, with a plurality of small radical holes, clearly shown in the drawing. According to the embodiment of Fig. 8, the outer tube or drum 3% is provided on the side facing the outlet conduit 29, instead of with circular holes or the like, with oblong apertures 38 to obtain a better homogenization.

The working of the apparatus above described, is as follows: the almost solid and cold soap, under the pressure of vanes is forced to traverse, before entering the outlet cone 15a, into the above mixer unit 50, that is, to go through conduit 28 and holes 39, 4t), 41, 42, which, thanks to the movement of the two cylinders 31 and 33. reduce the soap to the shape of very small sliced off cylinders. The soap is thus homogenized because during the passage from the holes of the stationary cylinders 30 and 32 to the holes of the movable cylinders 31 and 33, the soap cylinders being sheared in correspondence with the hollow spaces 43, dd and and mixed up together. The so treated and homogenized soap enters cylindrical chamber 26 where it transforms itself again into a compressed and homogeneous paste. The paste is then forced to go through the other series of holes provided in the sectors opposite to the preceding ones, of the same tubes 3!), 31,

32 and 33 where it is subjected to a treatment similar to the one described and then the mass of soap comes out of the mixer through conduit 29 perfectly homogenized, to enter conical conduit 1d of the die.

As set forth above, the holes of tube 30, facing conduit 29 may have an elongated form as indicated at 38 in Fig. 8, and this in order that the paste coming out of conduit 29 may not conserve any of the small cylinders precedingly made by the above described tubes 30, 31,

The installation according to the invention may also be constituted by several cooling bodies, each one, for instance, having a conduit 13 and vanes 17, as the one illustrated in Fig. 1, said cooling bodies being combined with a single extrusion conduit and die. In this case, conduits it? of the several cooling bodies will open into a single hopper-like conduit 15a, to feed a single die 23.

Of course, the type of mixer that has been described has been given only as an example as the mixer-homogenizer might be formed, instead of tubes, by perforated discs disposed adjacent between them and having, every other one of them alternately, a rotary motion, or any other relative motion between them, to the end of accomplishing the shearing and mixing action of the small soap cylinders coming out of the holes in the tubes or discs of the mixer.

Besides, the elements of the mixer can be provided with hollow spaces or inner cavities for the passage of a refrigerating liquid having the task of further cooling the soap while it goes into the mixer.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of solidifier and homogenizer apparatuses differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a soap solidifier and homogenizer ap paratus, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any Way from thespirit of the present invention.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for continuously solidifying liquid material, comprising in combination, inner drum means rotatable about its axis; outer stationary drum means arranged coaxial with and spaced radially outwardly of said inner drum means, said inner and outer drum means defining an annular space therebetween adapted to receive liquid material; cooling means for cooling said annular space and the liquid material adapted to bacon-- tained therein; inlet means communicating with saidam nular space for supplying liquid material thereto; outlet means communicating with said annular space for discharging the liquid material cooled therein; vane means on the periphery of said inner rotatable drum means extending across said annular space in contact with said outer drum means and rotatable with said inner rotatable drum means for moving the liquid material around said annular space from said inlet to said outlet means; blocking means extending across said annular space between said inner and outer drum means and arranged between said inlet and outlet means for forcing the discharge of the cooled liquid material into said outlet means during rotation of said vane means with said inner drum means; mixer means connected to said outlet means for receiving the solidified material discharged therefrom and for homogenizing the same, said mixer means comprising a plurality of apertured coaxial tubular members of which alternating ones are stationary and the remaining ones are turnable about their common axis, the solidified mate rial passing through the apertures of said tubular members during turning of the turnable tubular members so as to be comminuted thereby; and extrusion means including die means connected to said mixer means for receiving the thus-homogenized solidified material therefrom and for extruding the same in predetermined shape.

2. Apparatus for continuously solidifying liquid maa): terial and for mixing and homogenizing and thereafter extruding the same, comprising in combination, inner drum means rotatable about its axis; outer stationary drum means arranged coaxial with and spaced radially outwardly of said inner drum means, said inner and outer drum means defining an annular space therebetween adapted to receive liquid material; cooling means for cooling said annular space and the liquid material adapted to be contained therein; inlet means communicating with said annular space for supplying liquid material thereto; outlet means communicating with said annular space for discharging the liquid material cooled therein; vane means on the periphery of said inner rotatable drum means extending across said annular space in contact with said outer drum means and rotatable with said inner rotatable drum means for moving the liquid material around said annular space from said inlet to said outlet means; blocking means extending across said annular space between said inner and outer drum means and arranged between said inlet and outlet means for forcing the discharge of the cooled liquid material into said outlet means during rotation of said vane means with said inner drum means; mixer and homogenizer means connected to said outlet means for receiving the solidified material discharged therefrom and for homogenizing the same; and extrusion means connected to said mixer and 53 homogenizer means for receiving the thus-homogenized solidified material therefrom and for extruding the same in predetermined shape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 738,101 Curtis Sept. 1, 1903 887,955 McCarty May 19, 1908 1,271,657 Bock July 9, 1918 1,312,424 Richardson Aug. 5, 1919 1,391,970 Phillips Sept. 27, 1921 1,416,483 Lovcland May 16, 1922 1,805,063 Wrona May 12, 1931 1,844,972 Parkhurst Feb. 16, 1932 2,019,776 Clayton Nov. 5, 1935 2,057,192 Hutton Oct. 13, 1936 2,136,117 Nichols Nov. 8, 1938 2,154,708 Spiselman et a1 Apr. 18, 1939 2,338,112 Hell Ian. 4, 1944 2,426,457 Koch Aug. 26, 1947 2,515,201 Dulmage et al July 18, 1950 2,521,592 McManus Sept. 5, 1950 2,524,999 Schulerud Oct. 10, 1950 2,619,913 Longenecker Dec. 2, 1952 

